Computing devices may present lists of items to a user via a scrollable list on a graphical user interface. For lists containing large numbers of items, various methods have been used to allow users to scroll through such lists quickly. For example, scroll bars located adjacent sides of a displayed list may be provided to allow a user to quickly navigate through a large list of items presented on the display by dragging a “thumb” icon along the scroll bar.
Scroll bars and similar controls were developed largely around features associated with the mouse input paradigm. Recent improvements in touch-sensitive display technology have resulted in more widespread use of multi-touch displays that are capable of receiving input from multiple temporally overlapping touch inputs. Along with the development of touch-sensitive displays have come user interfaces that attempt to allow displayed content to be manipulated via natural, intuitive movements associated with the content. Because scroll bars are spatially separated from the content being scrolled, the use of scroll bars in a touch-sensitive display may be less connected to the content being manipulated than other touch inputs supported by a multi-touch graphical user interface.
However, the omission of a scroll bar from a graphical user interface may lead to shortcomings with the use of touch inputs to manipulate the interface. For example, in a user interface that supports scrolling via “dragging” gestures made over list items, scrolling through long lists may be cumbersome and time-consuming without a scroll bar thumb.